Shovrim Shtika, a courageous group of Israeli soldiers who tell of the realities of occupation -- realities that most Israelis and most Jews do not know and, more importantly, are determined not to know.
Shaul spoke of his confusion and pain serving Israel as a soldier in Hebron, guarding the lives of settlers who often provoke and attack Palestinians. He could not respond to prevent the aggression, because his mission was just to protect the Jews, not the Palestinian residents. His personal story of how he and the soldiers of his company committed acts of violence on a daily basis was shocking. These acts, he explained, are the inevitable reality of any occupation where an army rules over two million people.
Yet he also acknowledged his own personal responsibility, his own teshuva (repentance) for acts he routinely committed that caused suffering. All that the soldiers of Shovrim Shtika want is for the leaders and people of Israel to acknowledge what its soldiers are asked to do, and have to do, on their behalf on the West Bank.'
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Hard truths | Rabbi Brian Walt (08.10.08)
"In 1969 David Ben Gurion, the first prime minister of Israel, visited Cape Town. I remember his visit vividly. He met the leaders of Zionist youth groups."
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Palestinians sue Israel for West Bank land rights damages | JURIST (07.10.08)
Five Palestinians represented by Israeli rights group Yesh Din filed suit against the State of Israel seeking $427,000 in damages for failing to protect Palestinian-owned land in the West Bank from trespassers and an illegal outpost.
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"Occupation is Oppression" speech by Nobel peace price laureate Desmond Tutu (13.04.02)
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Israel increased area of dozens of settlements east of the Separation Barrier by tens of thousands of dunums | B'Tselem (11.09.08)
Israeli security policies have resulted in Palestinians being prevented from accessing land adjacent to settlements in the West Bank.
Use of violence and harassment by settlers and security forces to keep Palestinians away from the settlements. Building of a secondary fence to create a buffer zone consisting of empty land in a wide swath around the settlements.
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Israel Pushes Ahead with Settlement Expansion | IPS (27.08.08)
Israel has published tenders for the construction of 1,761 illegal housing units for Israeli settlers in occupied east Jerusalem alone, according to the Israeli rights group Peace Now.
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House Demolitions as Punishment | B'Tselem
Between 1967 and 2005, Israel has implemented a policy of demolishing and sealing houses in the West Bank and Gaza Strip as a punitive measure against the Palestinian population. Under the plan, about 670 homes were destroyed.
The practice was resumed in 2008: http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1215331211445&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
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Israel orders house demolition | Jerusalem Post (06.08.08)
Jerusalem Mayor: "The demolition will serve as clear message that the families of every terrorist who goes out to attack and murder Israelis will also be harmed."
Barak and Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin have expressed support for demolishing homes of east Jerusalem Arab terrorists since they both said it was an effective tool for deterring attacks.
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Israelis Getting Away With Violence | IPS (06.08.08)
Only six percent of probes into offences allegedly committed by Israeli soldiers and settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank yield indictments, a new report says.
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Rice Condemns Israeli Settlements | Al Jazeera (15.06.08)
"I believe - and the United States believes - that the actions and the announcements that are taking place are having a negative effect on the atmosphere of negotiations"; Israel announced last week it would build 1900 new housing units in east Jerusalem
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Israel Supreme Court upholds indefinite detention of unlawful combatants | JURIST (12.06.08)
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Obama: "Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel and it must remain undivided." | Al Jazeera (05.06.08)
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Gaza sewage, water disaster looms | Middle East Times (02.01.08)
More than 1.4 million Gaza Palestinians are facing an impending health disaster from decaying sewage and water systems that lack vital spare parts, fuel, and maintenance work, due to an Israeli economic siege on the Gaza Strip.
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Israeli army arrests 10 in Gaza raid | Xinhua (17.05.08)
at least seven tanks and four bulldozers rolled into the eastern territories of Rafah city after midnight and withdrew early in the morning. During the incursion, Israeli helicopters provided air cover to the bulldozers which leveled a number of fields and destroyed at least three chicken farms, according to the residents. The Israeli soldiers broke into some houses, searched them and arrested ten residents, the security sources said.
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Homes in illegal Israeli settlements for sale at London expo | inminds.com (16.11.07)
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Israeli gov't to okay hundreds of homes in West Bank | Xinhua (14.05.08)
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A human rights crime | Jimmy Carter, Guardian (08.05.08)
The world is witnessing a terrible human rights crime in Gaza, where a million and a half human beings are being imprisoned with almost no access to the outside world. An entire population is being brutally punished.
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Israel resumes fuel shipments to Gaza | Xinhua (12.05.08)
the only power station was shut down on Saturday due to fuel shortage
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Der Frieden brauchte seinen Mut | Ari Rath, Die Zeit (1995)
Jitzhak Rabin hat ein Leben lang für Israel gekämpft. Das verwaiste Volk will sein Testament erfüllen.
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